Incorporating Spirituality Into Core Counseling Courses: Ideas for Classroom Application

Recently, spirituality has received increased attention in the counseling field, and both spirituality and religion have been acknowledged as important aspects of multiculturalism. The role of spiritual and religious beliefs is mentioned throughout the Standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and guidelines for working with spiritual issues within various cultural paradigms are emerging. Nevertheless, many counselor educators seem unsure about how to infuse spiritual issues into courses. This article presents a rationale for inclusion of spiritual issues in counselor education curricula and provides activities to incorporate knowledge and skills for dealing with spiritual and religious diversity in CACREP core courses.     

Inclusion of Substance Abuse Training in CACREP‐Accredited Programs

Professional counselors and counselors‐in‐training continue to serve clients who have substance abuse issues, yet systematic training in substance abuse counseling is not available to many counselors. The authors investigated the extent to which students in programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP; 2001) are exposed to clients presenting with substance abuse issues and the relationship between state licensure or certification in substance abuse and the resulting perception of the need for the inclusion of substance abuse training in these programs. Three methods are presented for possibly including substance abuse training in CACREP standards.     

An exploration of factors contributing to multicultural counseling self-efficacy in addiction counselors

A non-experimental, correlational survey design was used to explore relationships between counselor recovery status, training, and counselor demographic variables on multicultural counseling self-efficacy in addiction counselors (N = 283) using the Multicultural Counseling Self-Efficacy – Racial Diversity Form. A multiple-indicators and multiple-causes model analysis indicated significant differences based on race, multicultural education, and CACREP program attendance on multicultural counseling self-efficacy. Implications from this study and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs: Promoting Quality in Counselor Education

Much has changed for the counseling profession in the 30 years since the founding of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). CACREP, the primary specialized accreditor for the counseling profession, has been an influential participant in the growing recognition and professionalization of counseling. This article offers an overview of CACREP and accreditation and addresses some primary issues confronting CACREP, counselor preparation programs, and, in some instances, overall U.S. higher education.     

Spiritual and Religious Competencies: A National Survey of CACREP‐Accredited Programs

In this study of 94 Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)‐accredited counselor education programs, 69% of respondents reported their programs addressed spiritual and religious issues; however, only 46% of CACREP liaisons perceived themselves as prepared or very prepared to integrate material related to spirituality and religion in counseling into their teaching and supervision activities. In addition, only 28% of respondents viewed their colleagues as similarly capable of addressing these issues as a component of counselor preparation. The authors discuss implications for training and practice.     

The Pursuit of Quality: A Look Into the Future of CACREP

This is a look into the future of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). A brief review summarizes the context in which it will find itself in the next decade. Two primary issues that must be addressed should serve as the basis for changes. First, what are the societal needs that counselors will be required to address? Second, what preparation is appropriate for counselors to meet these needs? Suggested changes with supporting rationale are discussed for the preparation standards, the board structure, and relationships with other accreditation agencies. CACREP has made significant contributions to the counseling profession and to society.     

The Sexual Identity Timeline: A Reflection Tool for Developing Competence in Counseling

Greater attention to sexual identity development from an inclusive and affirmative perspective must be incorporated into counselor education training. Counselors are well positioned to address issues related to human sexuality; however, without reflection across the spectrum of sexuality-related issues, counselors may rely on personal bias, or they may choose to avoid the topic altogether. In order to adequately train counselors, it is important to identify learning activities that counselor educators can utilize. Given the significance of sexuality across the lifespan, we propose that counselor educators actively guide their students through reflection about their own sexual identity development. This article presents the Sexual Identity Timeline (SIT) as a reflective learning activity to incorporate into the counseling curriculum.     

The State of Community Counseling: A Survey of Directors of CACREP‐Accredited Programs

Directors of CACREP‐accredited community counseling programs were surveyed on plans for their programs, needed curricular changes, professional organization and publications desired, and what makes community counseling distinct as a counseling specialization. Respondents were evenly divided between those who seem to see community counseling as generic counselor preparation for nonschool settings and those who seem to see it as a community‐oriented specialization in its own right. This division of opinion suggests a need to resolve this issue.     

The Impact of Counselor and Participant Gender on Willingness to Discuss Relational Topics: Development of the Relationship Disclosure Scale

The current investigation examined people's willingness to disclose personal information about their intimate relationships to counselors. This was accomplished by asking 431 students to indicate how willing they would be to discuss 25 relationship topics, as measured by the newly developed Relationship Disclosure Scale (RDS), with female and male counselors. The results indicated that people's willingness to disclose their intimate relationships to counselors depended on their own gender, the gender of the counselor, and the particular relationship topics assessed by the RDS. In addition, several personality variables associated with relational-esteem and relational-consciousness were found to be associated with women's willingness to engage in relationship disclosure with male and female counselors. These findings underscore the impact of gender and personality on counseling disclosure tendencies. The discussion focuses on gender and the use of the RDS in research and counseling settings.     

Ethics in Case Conceptualization and Diagnosis: Incorporating a Medical Model Into the Developmental Counseling Tradition

In this literature review, the author focuses on several ethical considerations in case conceptualization and diagnosis, including diagnostic training and competence. Meeting the American Counseling Association's (1995) ethical standard for diagnostic training has several ethical implications for counselors, counselor educators, and supervisors. For counselors who might struggle with how to meet their ethical responsibilities in diagnosis but who want to remain true to their developmental counseling emphases, the author discusses some of their concerns, the implications of and possible approaches to this aspect of their work. Conclusion Yalom (2002) asked a poignant question of counselors in his book, The Gift of Therapy: “If you were in personal psychotherapy or are considering it, what DSM‐IV diagnosis do you think your therapist could justifiably use to describe someone as complicated as you?” (p. 5). This question and continued dialogue about the ethics and implications of diagnosis are essential aspects of diagnostic training. Yalom's poignant and deeply personal question seems especially appropriate for increasing a counselor's empathy toward the client's sensitivity and vulnerability during the diagnostic process. Counselor educators might ask how one remains true to a developmental model of counseling while adhering to the ethical and accreditation standards of teaching the DSM's medical model of diagnosis. Counselors may also question how to use diagnosis ethically and empathically. Seligman (1999) recommended that clinicians view the DSM as one of many important sources of information about a person. Furthermore, counselors should seek to incorporate diagnostic information into a holistic context, recognizing that a diagnosis does not reflect the totality of the client. Some counselor educators have advised students to integrate the DSM model into their work with clients rather than abandoning their developmental roots (Waldo et al., 1993). Some counselors may not actually put their diagnoses in writing; Seligman believed, however, that thinking diagnostically may assist counselors in determining the best approaches to help clients and to help clients help themselves. This clinical and ethical debate about how, and in fact, whether, to integrate the medical model of the DSM and the developmental origins and distinctiveness of counseling continues. However, the CACREP (2001) standards, managed care systems, and other forces have pushed counseling professionals toward a medical model by mandating counselor knowledge and use of the DSM. Whatever a counselor's stance and behavior on client assessment and diagnosis may be, the literature presented in this review and discussion seems to suggest a need for heightened sensitivity to, preparation for, and accuracy in all facets of client assessment, especially diagnosis.     

“Meeting Someone at the Edge”: Counselors’ Experiences of Interpersonal Stress

Using consensual qualitative research, the authors explored the factors that contribute to counselors’ experiences of interpersonal stress and how counselors respond to interpersonal stressors within therapeutic settings. Thirteen professional counselors representing a variety of counseling contexts and settings participated in semistructured interviews. Through consensus building, the authors identified 4 domains within the data: client characteristics, relationship dynamics, counselor response, and personal vs. professional self. The findings suggest that client characteristics and relationship dynamics are catalysts to counselor interpersonal stress responses, which shape their conscious awareness of the experience. Implications for clinical practice, clinical supervision, and counselor wellness are discussed.     

Urban School-Based Family Counseling: Role Definition,Practice Applications,and Training Implications

The authors describe an expanded role for counselors in urban school settings that can improve the linkages among families, schools, and communities: school-based family counseling. The focus of this process is to assist children in becoming more successful in the classroom by increasing family and community involvement in addressing specific barriers to learning. The function of school-based family counseling, strategies, and challenges for implementation of this process; a case study of a school-based family counseling intervention; and implications for counselor training are presented. Benefits of the school-based family counseling model for diverse students, parents, schools, and communities also are discussed.     

Addressing Privilege and Oppression in Counselor Training and Practice: A Qualitative Analysis

This qualitative study explored how 16 counselors conceptualize and address issues of privilege and oppression in the counseling session as well as how they perceive their training with respect to these constructs. In an effort to bridge multicultural training and counselor practice, implications for counselor training are provided based on the clinical and academic experiences counselors reported. Additionally, future research directions are included.     

addressing career issues online: perceptions of counselor education professionals

The Internet is the latest arena in which counseling services are available for a variety of issues. This study surveyed counselor education professionals about their perceptions regarding the use of online counseling to address various mental health issues including career counseling. It also examined their perceptions about 3 formats of online counseling: e‐mail, text‐based chat, and videoconferencing. Results indicated that counselor education professionals were open to the use of online counseling to address career issues. The implications for the practice of online career counseling and for the training of counselors are discussed.     

Spirituality and Religion: The Ninth CACREP Core Curriculum Area

On the basis of the ACA Code of Ethics (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2014) and ACA‐endorsed competencies, the ability to address spirituality and religion is a recommended skill set of counselors. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) addresses the “spirit” in the standards; however, in the training of students, additional focus could be placed on this competency. The authors introduce expert‐reviewed standards to be considered as a 9th core curriculum area of the CACREP Standards (CACREP, 2015 ) titled Spirituality and Religion .     

Managed Care,Ethics, and Counseling

In this article, the author addresses issues of managed care and ethics and how they relate to counseling. Specifically, a recent article published in The Counseling Psychologist (C. C. Cooper & M. C. Gottlieb, 2000) is reviewed. Implications for counselors and counselor educators are then explored.     

Counseling for the transition to adulthood as joint, goal-directed action

Transition is important in the career literature as it identifies times at which people are often likely to consult counselors about issues for which they need help. However, the counseling literature has not provided a conceptualization of, or research on, the joint, goal-directed actions and projects of the counselor and the client, which explicitly reflect the goal-directed nature of the transition itself. To address this issue, 12 counseling dyads, representing 37 counseling sessions, were studied. In these dyads, counseling was observed as the joint, goal-directed action between professional counselors and youth who sought assistance with their transition to adulthood. The data were collected using the action-project method. The counseling sessions were video-recorded, then immediately played back for the counselor and client separately to gather their recalled thoughts and feeling during counseling. Detailed qualitative analysis of the data set addressed the research question, “What are the goal-directed projects that counselors and their clients jointly construct, articulate, and enact relevant to the transition to adulthood?” The findings indicated the relationship and identity are intertwined goal-directed projects within counseling as well as outside of it. These projects contributed to the reframing and reorganization of clients' transition projects outside of counseling in occupational, educational, and familial domains. The findings suggest important implications for counseling youth in transition, that is, counselors and clients explicitly address their joint relationship and identity goals in an effort to realize a mutually satisfactory and important transition to adulthood.     

Genetic Counseling in the Era of Genomics: What’s all the Fuss about?

As genomic sequencing becomes more widely available in clinical settings for diagnostic purposes, a number of genetic counseling issues are gaining precedence. The ability to manage these issues will be paramount as genetic and non-genetic healthcare professionals navigate the complexities of using genomic technologies to facilitate diagnosis and inform patient management. Counseling issues arising when counseling for diagnostic genomic sequencing were identified by four genetic counselors with 10 years of collective experience providing genetic counseling in this setting. These issues were discussed and refined at a meeting of genetic counselors working in clinical genomics settings in Melbourne, Australia. Emerging counseling issues, or variations of established counseling issues, were identified from the issues raised. Illustrative cases were selected where pre- and post-test genetic counseling was provided in clinical settings to individuals who received singleton or trio WES with targeted analysis. Counseling issues discussed in this paper include a reappraisal of how genetic counselors manage hope in the genomic era, informed consent for secondary use of genomic data, clinical reanalysis of genomic data, unexpected or unsolicited secondary findings, and trio sequencing. The authors seek to contribute to the evolving understanding of genetic counseling for diagnostic genomic sequencing through considering the applicability of existing genetic counseling competencies to managing emerging counseling issues and discussing genetic counseling practice implications.     

Sexual Dual Relationships in Counseling: Confronting the Issues

Sexual intimacy between counselors and clients is a frequently claimed type of violation against licensed professional counselors. This article examines the issue of sexual dual relationships in terms of prevalence, harm inflicted on clients, counselor awareness, predictability, and parameters for concern. Implications for counseling practice, education of prospective clients, legislation, research, and counselor training are also discussed. It is suggested that despite the complexity and controversy surrounding the topic of sexual dual relationships, the challenge to counselors to confront and to explore these issues is critical to the profession and cannot be ignored.     

Health Beliefs,Religious Values,and the Counseling Process: A Comparison of Counselors and Other Mental Health Professionals

A. E. Bergin (1985) studied the religious values and beliefs of mental health professionals and the relationship of those values to the counseling process. This study replicated Bergin's research with a sample of professional counselors. Differences were found in each of 10 beliefs areas and 10 values areas between the total sample in both studies. Within-group differences revealed greater similarities between professional counselors and social workers and marriage and family therapists and greater differences between counselors and either psychologists or psychiatrists. Implications for counseling and counselor training are discussed.